Police arrest 38 suspected gang members in South Side drug busts

March 3, 2013 9:40:02 AM PST

March 3, 2013 ( CHICAGO) --

Chicago police have arrested 38 suspected gang members for selling drugs on the city's South Side.

In a press release Saturday, Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said one of the open-air drug markets was near a school. A second undercover investigation found three street gangs were working together to sell drugs.

"Dismantling drug markets is critical to decreasing gang violence and criminal activity in our communities," McCarthy was quoted in the release. "We improve the quality of life in our City by taking down these drug markets and removing the involved criminals, weapons, and narcotics from the streets."